PLN reports full power restoration in Flores after 7.7 quake
Indonesia’s state power utility PLN says it restored electricity to all previously affected customers across Flores by 17:40 WITA on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that damaged substations, feeder lines and…
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 4 min read
Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company PLN says it has fully restored power to customers across Flores following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the region in mid-August, with the utility reporting completion of customer restoration at 17:40 WITA on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
According to a written statement reported by Tempo, PLN deployed 1,144 personnel to carry out safety checks, repairs and a phased restoration of the electricity system in Flores after the quake. PLN’s East Nusa Tenggara Regional Unit General Manager F. Eko Sulistyono said teams immediately assessed grid conditions in all affected areas, prioritising safety before re‑energising the network.
Indonesian broadcaster Metro TV also cited PLN as saying that by 17:40 WITA on 18 August, power supply had returned for all previously affected customers in Flores. The company framed the recovery as a 100 percent restoration of the regional electricity system, following several days of accelerated repair work across the island.
Repairs and operational response
PLN’s post‑earthquake response included inspections at individual points across the network and staged re‑energising of substations and feeder lines, according to statements reported by Tempo and RRI. PLN President Director Darmawan Prasodjo said technical teams worked continuously to visit affected locations, repair damaged infrastructure and restore power so residents could resume normal activities.
Earlier reports described rapid progress in bringing major assets back online. RRI and Tempo quoted Darmawan as saying that 11 primary substations that had lost power after the quake were restored to full operation, and that 58 of 59 affected feeder lines — representing 98.3 percent — were back in service as of 16 August. Remaining efforts focused on areas hit by landslides, where collapsed power poles and access constraints slowed repairs.
An analysis by Sirkularium, drawing on PLN and government information, said the earthquake — reported in the Flores Sea with a magnitude range of 7.0 to 7.7 on 15 August 2026 — knocked out two gas-fired plants and damaged 11 substations in East Nusa Tenggara. It reported that PLN restored all 11 substations within 12 hours, re‑establishing the main supply path across the province and allowing the utility to run its Independence Day grid watch from Flores with a reported 9‑gigawatt national reserve margin on 17 August.
Standby measures and Labuan Bajo
PLN has said its personnel remain on standby to monitor grid conditions and respond to any further disruptions in Flores. According to Metro TV and Tempo, the company linked the restoration of power in key tourism centres such as Labuan Bajo to the continuity of economic and tourism activity in eastern Indonesia, highlighting the town’s role as a gateway for visitors to nearby islands and marine parks.
RRI reported that emergency crews continued working amid aftershocks and difficult terrain, with hospitals and disaster command posts prioritised during the staged recovery. A separate Sirkularium insight described national standby equipment for the Independence Day operation, including generators, uninterruptible power supplies and mobile substations, used to bolster resilience during the holiday grid watch.
Regional officials have publicly thanked field teams for the fast restoration. According to RRI and other Indonesian outlets, PLN coordinated closely with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, local governments, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, the military and police to clear routes, stabilise infrastructure and support recovery work in Flores.
Context
The electricity recovery unfolded against a broader emergency response to the 7.7‑magnitude earthquake, which caused significant damage and casualties in parts of Flores and nearby areas. Sirkularium reported that PLN operated in the affected province with around 111 megawatts of available capacity against roughly 95 megawatts of demand, leaving a comfortable margin once the main network was back online.
RRI later cited national support posts as saying that 3,478 affected distribution substations had been reactivated, with 564,065 customers — about 99.4 percent of the total in affected areas — receiving electricity supply again.
By the evening of 17 August, Sirkularium and Indonesian media reported that Indonesia’s Independence Day ceremonies and celebrations proceeded without major power disruptions, supported by the reserve margins built into the national grid. PLN’s announcement on 18 August marks the point at which the utility says all previously affected Flores customers had their electricity restored, even as some distribution repairs and access challenges continued in the worst‑hit districts.
Sources
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